Just Shy & Boyd Kelly Give It A Whirl With «Hula Hoop Girl»

Melbourne musicians Just Shy and Boyd Kelly are ready to give it a whirl with their new collaboration «Hula Hoop Girl».

The vibrant pop-funk track, captures the freedom and joy of being lost in a moment of celebration. It’ll serve as the perfect soundtrack to sunshine rollerblading, sundown partying, and everything in between.

The track is the pair’s second collaboration, following last year’s sparkling «Mirrorball», which was featured and playlisted by the likes of Popjustice, The Record Doctor, Track By Track, Eat This Music and Glitoris. The disco pop track also received substantial airplay across some of Melbourne and Australia’s best-loved community radio stations including JOY 94.9, PBS 106.7 FM, RTR 92.1 FM, Radio Adelaide, 3CR Melbourne and 2GLF Sydney.

If Mirrorball was set on a nightclub’s sticky dancefloor; «Hula Hoop Girl»’s feet are planted in the grass of an outdoor music festival. Per usual for these collaborators, they’ve taken a just-too-far-gone sound, in this case mid-2000s pop, funk & R&B, and revitalised it with a wink and a smile. The best sonic comparisons from this era are Lily Allen (think LDN) and Mark Ronson (think Version). The pair anticipate that the horn-laden track will soundtrack boozy afternoon picnics and last-minute beach trips, and might even inspire some burgeoning hula-hoopers into action.

Just Shy was inspired to write the track’s lyrics and melody following a surprising experience at a weekend music festival. «I found myself getting distracted from the festivities by my own thoughts», he says, «until I noticed a handful of people hula hooping in the crowd. They seemed so locked into the moment – so present, and so content – and that really helped me pull myself out of my thoughts and into enjoying myself».

Boyd Kelly was inspired by DJ/Frontman acts like DJ EZ & Robe Base and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. «As the sample-digging obsessed DJ in this partnership, I wanted to lay down an oddball beat for the ever mischievous Just Shy to run with. Our shared love of the 2000s pop soul revival era meant I had to work with him on this samba-sampling, kooky beat. He knew exactly where to take it!».

The single’s artwork was designed by local Melbourne illustrator Tegan Iversen, who incorporated her trademark vibrant, bold colour palette in a striking digital drawing.

To celebrate the release of «Hula Hoop Girl», Just Shy & Boyd Kelly will join forces for a one-off show in Melbourne, with details to be shared in the coming weeks. Fans can expect to hear the new track’s live debut, along with Mirrorball, songs from the artists’ solo repertoires, and a handful of fittingly fun covers.